24 June 2014

Delicious Barbequed Meals for the UK Summer

So it’s June and you can jump for joy knowing you’ve survived winter and that the weather will steadily
warm up until the short-lived but delicious English summer is upon us!! While the BBQ is an Aussie/American institution, more and more Brits are honing their skills on not only learning how to ‘throw another
shrimp on the barbie’, but how to cook it to absolute perfection. Here are some meals to try this summer
that are sure to please the troops.

Starters

‘Summer-fy’ your bread by chucking it on the barbie, not only is it ridiculously quick, but you’ll add a whole
new flavour dimension to your starters. Some simple recipes include:

Herb and garlic crusted flat breads

Tomato and basil bruschetta

Aubergine and mint bruschetta

Crostini with prosciutto, figs and mint

Seafood

Seafood is such a big part of the British diet; it makes complete sense to fine-tune your BBQ cooking
skills with fish and crustaceans. Barbequed seafood makes a lot of sense. We generally like to eat lighter
meals in the warmer months and given that grilling is a healthy, low-fat way of cooking, combining this with
seafood is an awesome way to whip up fast, healthy meals. To get your tastebuds going, give these little
numbers a go on your BBQ:

Cajun halibut with lemon and lime butter

Halibut with coriander butter

Stuffed trout or mackeral

Salmon sandwich (or burger) with lemon dill mayo

Fast fish kebabs (swordfish is a great choice here)

Salmon with soy and brown sugar marinade

Tuna teriyaki

Baked fish with pecan stuffing

Citrus garlic prawns

Chilli and lime scallops

Vege

Grilled vegies are fabulous! Because barbequing adds a whole different flavour, you might even find
yourself liking brussel sprouts. Ok, ok, so maybe that’s a stretch too far, but you get the idea. Start seeing
your vegies in a whole new light and try out these cracking recipes on your BBQ:

char-grilled and spiced aubergine, courgette and capsicum

Vege kebabs

Stuffed capsicums and/or mushrooms

Baked whole potatoes served with parsley and garlic butter

Char-grilled pumpkin and sweet potato

Meat

So it’s kind of obvious that the king of the BBQ, is meat! Ask most men and they’ll tell you “you can never
have enough meat”. But just to make things a little more interesting, let’s think outside the box a bit. Have
you ever tried:

Barbequed meatloaf

A spicy barbequed leg of lamb

BBQ pork ribs lovingly marinated in bourbon

Barbequed Thai chicken legs

Spicy African chicken drumsticks

Fruit

Every tried barbequed dessert? Try these little numbers:

Grilled banana (or pineapple), splashed with booze of your choice (watch out for the flames!)
and finished with a ice sugar dust

Old school baked apples and rhubarb, with or without a crumble

Yum, yum and yum!!! The point here is simply this: BBQs don’t have to just be boring old sausages
and a limp-looking salad mix. You’re only limited by your spectacular imagination and if you get stuck,
simply consult the web. Take a look at Jamie Oliver’s website or Aussie BBQ specialists Barbeques Galore, where some of these recipes come from. Enjoy!